Lower Housing Prices Could Hurt College Attendance, Study Says

The housing bubble burst may puncture the dreams of many students hoping to attend college.

As housing prices rose from the late 1990s through 2006, many parents used their new-found wealth to send their children to college, according to a recent study by Cornell University economist Michael Lovenheim. Now, with housing prices back at 2003 levels, parents may not have enough money to pay tuition, which could force young people from middle- and low-income families to skip the college experience altogether, the report finds.